Man accused of making terrorist threats is bound over for trial

A 50-year-old Saukville man accused of threatening an Ozaukee County detective and assistant district attorney in March was bound over for trial during a preliminary hearing Tuesday on four felony charges, including making reckless terrorist threats.

Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Sandy Williams denied a motion to dismiss the case against Christian Pressley made by his attorney, Liliana Anderson, and ruled there is probable cause to support the charges against him, which in addition to making terrorist threats include threatening a law enforcement officer, threatening a prosecutor and second-degree recklessly endangering safety, as well as a misdemeanor charge of third-offense drunken driving.

He is being held in the county jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Pressley, who was apparently irate that a case in which he was the alleged victim was dismissed last month, sent the Sheriff’s Office detective who investigated the case messages on March 13 in which he described himself as a victim of government abuse and made threatening statements, according to a criminal complaint filed.

“This is the breaking point,” Pressley wrote in an email, according to the complaint. “I will act when I see most possibility for results that will level the field and bring justice.

“Those that implement a corrupt government, that ignores logical application of equal justice, are evil and have no right to life.”

Apparently frustrated with a lack of response from the detective, Pressley called Sheriff’s Office dispatchers repeatedly the same day, instructing one of them to tell the detective to check his email and “make sure you can go home to families tonight,” the complaint states.

In other comments, Pressley said he was on his way to the home of the prosecutor who handled his case.

At one point during the hours of calls he made to dispatchers, Pressley said, “I will never hurt myself, you and every person you work with need to think about whether you want to be associated with that organization because it has been marked by me,” according to the complaint. “I want to live for justice and honesty and I will kill anyone who stands in the way.”

Pressley’s ire stemmed from the March 11 trial of a Cedarburg man charged with stalking him. Pressley, who owns Mill Street Kitchen and Bath in Saukville, hired the man as a subcontractor for a project and a long-running dispute over workmanship and costs ensued.

Immediately after Pressley testified during the trial, the defense attorney asked for a mistrial, which was granted by Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Steve Cain. The attorney then asked that the case be dismissed, and Cain said he would consider the request.

A day later, the assistant district attorney prosecuting the case filed a motion to dismiss the case with prejudice after determining the matter should not be brought to trial for a second time.

On March 13, a victim/witness coordinator in the District Attorney’s Office informed Pressley of the decision. He left an expletive-riddled message for the coordinator later that day, the complaint states.

That evening, Sgt. Justin DeSmidt spoke to Pressley by phone and said he was extremely agitated and emotional, and at one point apparently threw his phone. Pressley made repeated references to being treated unfairly by the prosecutor during the conversation, according to the complaint.

Deputies pinged his phone to find his location and a Saukville police officer spotted him driving south on Main Street. The officer reported Pressley was driving at 80 to 100 mph in a residential area and continued south into the Town of Grafton.

The officer didn’t chase Pressley, but he continued south until he discovered Pressley had crashed his vehicle near Highway O and Pleasant Valley Road. A witness said the driver ran toward the nearby Milwaukee River.

Officers using a drone found Pressley near the river at 11:50 p.m. They reported Pressley, who refused to perform field sobriety tests, smelled of alcohol and arrested him for drunken driving, the complaint states.

Although Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Adam Gerol set  Pressley’s bail, he subsequently recused himself from the case because the prosecutor who is a victim in the case used to work for Gerol when he was district attorney. The case is being prosecuted by Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney because of similar conflicts of interest.

Pressley is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment hearing on Sept. 3.